The Fourth District
by pinkythesnowman
Summary: Sora, a bartender at the Fourth District Bar, gets glances into the lives of others. T for alcohol references throughout, and some minor sexual content.


_The Fourth District_

_A Kingdom Hearts Love Story_

He sighed, wiping off yet another glass. The small bar was dark, and quiet music played from ancient wall speakers. The paneled walls gleamed, and there were photos and paintings hung up around the room. Dim lights dangled from the ceiling. His current patron had spiky brown hair, bright blue eyes, and wore leather clothing adorned with chains. He been in the Fourth District (so named because of its prominent location in Traverse Town) for over three hours now, and was just polishing off his fifth martini of the night. The man had spent his entire visit muttering about a princess.

Sora was used to odd people. After all, he served them all night. Sora was a bartender, working in the small but flourishing Fourth District Bar. He served all the denizens of Traverse Town and beyond, and his bar was a haven for weary travelers and people for whom life had dealt a bad hand.

The current man he was serving liked to be called Leon, though Sora was unsure if that was his real name. He was quite the regular of the Fourth District, always coming in looking battered and sad. From what Sora had gathered, he was lost, as many people in Traverse Town were, searching for a girl. Leon never liked to talk much.

On Leon's left, there was a woman named Selphie. Selphie was young, probably in her early twenties, and often came in with two close friends of hers. Sora often suspected that she came in here to attract his attention, especially since he'd recently discovered that they'd been in school together, but Sora had never socialized much at school and hadn't realized Selphie had been in his class until she'd reminded him. He gamely went along with her flirting; she was very attractive and fun besides She always ordered the same thing every night: a Cosmopolitan with an extra lime garnish.

Next to Selphie was a tall man with striking features. His eyes were bright green, a violent contrast to his vibrant red hair, which angled out all around his face. He was known to wander in drunk, but when he was sober Sora had found that he was a nice guy. His name was Axel, and Sora knew the least about Axel than almost all of his clients. All he knew was that Axel liked to guard his feelings, and that he didn't like being asked questions.

And in the far corner was… somebody he didn't recognize. Sora knew instantly that the person was female even through the cloak draped over her shoulders—though long hair was popular on men these days, the hair adorning the head of the woman in the corner was distinctly female. It was long, red, and wispy at the bottom, something no man would permit his hair to do. As Riku, Sora's best friend, constantly reminded him, the only manly hair was spiky hair. He could also see a peek of a black dress under the cloak; from beneath the chair he could see black heels with a perfectly manicured toenail peeping through. There was no drink in front of her… she must be waiting for somebody.

Sora checked the clock. It was 11:30 at night, and save for the four patrons in the bar, it was empty.

"Excuse me? Could I get another Cosmo, please?"

It was Selphie. She fluttered her thickly mascara-ed eyelashes at him, and pouted. She'd already had two, but he could never say no when she turned her charms on him. She leaned forward, subtly pushing up her chest and drawing his glance to her deep cleavage, and conspiratorially winked at him. That did him in. He prepared her another drink, while Selphie took his obedience to be a cue to begin a conversation.

"Sora, you are a darling! I really need this Cosmo tonight, I've had an awful day and I am dying for relaxation. And if I am going to be with a man tonight, I like to be a little tipsy… I'm sure you know what I mean!" Selphie giggled. Sora nodded in agreement, though he honestly didn't know what she was talking about. "Oh Sora, I'll never understand how you're still single!" Honestly, Sora didn't either. He had the time, he wasn't a commitment-phobe, he enjoyed the company of women… none of that explained why his last girlfriend had been in college. Selphie continued to giggle and sip her martini, and Sora smiled and moved on, asking if he could take away glasses and if taxis needed to be called. Soon, Leon and Axel were on their way, and Selphie was leaving, though reluctantly.

Sora sighed in relief. He could close up early today and go home. He began to turn off the already dim lights, when his gaze fell upon the young woman in the corner, who now had her face in her hands, shoulders trembling slightly. It appeared to be that she was crying. Sora approached her and tapped her shoulder, careful not to startle her.

"Excuse me, miss? Is something the matter?"

And when she turned, he saw a perfectly shaped face with a petite mouth, a little noise, and enormous blue eyes, eyes that were fringed with perfectly thick black eyelashes and currently watery with crying.

"I—excuse me, I didn't mean to cause any trouble, I won't really be here much longer and—"

"Miss, I hate to tell you this, but it's already midnight. Is there somebody you're waiting for?"

"I—I'm waiting for somebody, yes, he said he'd be here at 11 o'clock but maybe he's run late, I'd hate to make him angry again—"

Sora smiled. So she was waiting for a man. It bothered him to hear her imply that this man had been angry with her before. But why? He didn't even know the woman. Perhaps she was a cow, and he just hadn't spoken to her long enough to know. But she didn't _seem _like a cow.

"Miss, it's an hour past your appointed time. Maybe you should see if you can contact him," Sora ventured. "There is a phone in the back if you need it."

"Thank you, but he'll come, I know it, he always does,' the woman replied. As if her words were magic, a young man burst through the door, blonde hair askew (Sora was sure on purpose) and eyes not apologetic at all.

"Seifer!" she exclaimed, bringing her hands together in delight. "You came!"

"Of course I did," the man called Seifer huffed. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't? Some stuff just came up, that's all. Sorry," he hastily added, not sounding sorry one bit. Then he glanced at Sora. "You weren't flirting with that bartender, were you?"

The woman giggled nervously. "No, of course not," she replied.

"Good. Kairi, I'm awfully sorry I didn't come on time," Seifer smiled. "So what do you say I make it up to you? _At home_?" He pointedly added, looking at Sora's neutral face. _So her name is Kairi, _Sora thought. _The name rolls pleasantly off my tongue_.

Meanwhile, Seifer and Kairi were heading out the door, Seifer with one hand placed strategically on her back to steer her in the right direction. As they approached the door, Kairi turned her head back.

"Good night, sir," she called over her shoulder. Seifer pulled her attention back to him and they kissed as they left the bar.

Sora turned and began to dim the remaining lights, clear up the last glasses, and finally shut the door with a click.

_**xoxoxox**_

A/N: And… that's it! My first new story in years. Anyway, I was watching Bartender (interesting anime) and came up with this. Some clarifications:

1. The Fourth District is the _name_ of the bar. It is not a new district in Traverse Town

2. You can expect the majority of the Kingdom Hearts characters, both original and from Final Fantasies. However, I'm still debating the appearance of Disney characters. We will see.

3. I'm not sure how long the story will go for, actually. I usually have a game plan mapped out before I start a story, but I wrote this at midnight and I honestly have no clue!

4. UNLIKE Bartender, this will not be a story about various alcoholic beverages, as I am underage and am not particularly knowledgeable about cocktails. That would be too much research anyway.

5. I am contemplating changing the title, as I'm not sure if I am entirely happy with it. If anybody has a suggestion, please let me know. Any ideas are appreciated.

6. Finally, review! It takes a minute of your time, and I'd love to get feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

_Posted 04-03-07_


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